Organic Farmers and the Avian Flu

BCARA (B.C. Association for Regenerative Agriculture) is one of 5 organic certification bodies operating in the lower Fraser Valley. It certifies just over 50 farms. 16 farms raise poultry as a part of their farm. CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) killed the birds on 4 of these farms, 4 farms killed their own birds or did not place birds due to the avian flu, 2 farms were allowed to raise their birds to slaughter age then could not place birds until the ban was lifted, 6 farms were allowed to continue with their poultry since they fell outside the hot zones of the valley.

Evidence surrounding the outbreak of avian flu in the Fraser Valley and the cases of mad cow in Alberta and Europe demonstrates flaws in the conventional factory farming system. However the actions of the governments and agencies like the CFIA impact to a great degree the operations of organic farms. The shortage of organic poultry products as a result of the avian flu cull was proportionally greater than that for conventional products.

Fred Reid joined the group of backyard farmers presenting before the Select Standing Committee of Parliament reviewing this issue and presented the following concerns.

1.The poultry concentration in the Fraser Valley should be reduced and the industry decentralized.
2.Compensation should not be given to the conventional farming system without changes in farming practices such as high bird densities in barns.
3.With future outbreaks of diseases such as avian flu the normal course of action should be test for the disease and allow for quarantine so that small flocks can be preserved. Killing of a flock should only occur with a positive test.
4.Detection of exposure to a virus alone should not warrant the killing of a flock. Birds that have resistance to a disease are not necessarily carriers of the disease.
5.Encourage a protocol to allow for small scale processing facilities for fowl.
6.When developing bio-security protocols for organic farms they must take into account the biodiversity of an organic farm and its limited use of chemical intervention.
7.Food safety and security should remain in the hands of government and not be given over to the private sector.
8.The government should assist in research that would develop and encourage more organic ways of handling disease problems.

Prepared by Fred Reid